Husbandry system



March 23, 1943. CORNELL 2,314,344

HUSBANDRY SYSTEM Filed Nov. 19; 1938 4 Sheet's-Sheet 1 INVENTOR;

FD. CORNEAL,

ATTORNEY.

March 23, 1943. IF. D. CORNELL 2,314,344

HUSBANDRY SYSTEM Filed Nov. 19, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

March 23, 1943.

F. D. CORNELL HUSBANDRY SYSTEM Filed Nov. 19, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORI F'- fl. CORNELL flww ATTORNEY.

March 23, 1943.

' F. D. CORNELL HUSBANDRY SYS TEM Filed Nov. 19, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 @INVENTORI: FD. C A/VLL Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HUSBANDRY SYSTEM Fay D. Cornell, Pasadena, Calif.

Application November 19, 1938, Serial No. 241,385 11 Claims. 119-21) The present invention relates to a system for maintaining living beings in confinement.

In a copending application, Ser. No. 34,680, Pat-- ent No. 2,257,734, issued October 7, 1941, is described a husbandry system according to which such living beings are continuously carried through light and darkened zones and past supply stations within said light zones. In accordance with the present system, the confined being are held in stationary compartments and all subplies are delivered and all servicing effected by means movable past the said stationary compartments. f

To this end, it is the object of this invention to provide simple and efiicient means for economically maintaining living beings in confinement. A further object is to provide improved means for supplying food to the confined beings. Another object is to provide improved means for servicing the confined beings. It is a still further object to provide improved means for maintaining predetermined, uniform air and light conditions within the space occupied by the compartments of the invention.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in the appended drawings, of which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary planview showing one corner of a building within which the structure of the invention is installed,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of parts of the mechanism of Fig. 1 as viewed from the front and substantially in agreement therewith, but all parts of the building shown in Fig. 1 are, for the sake of clearness, omitted from this drawing,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation of a portion of Fi l, and is taken substantially on a line 33 thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a planview of a portion of the upper right hand corner of Fig. 1.

It is noted that Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1 in order to facilitate the reading of these views.

The device of the invention, in the form illustrated, comprises a light and air controlled space, preferably arranged within a suitable building I, only one corner of which, on account of the limited space available, is shown in the drawings.

Within the building I are mounted pairs of batteries 2, 2 fitted with compartments of a size to maintain animals in confinement. For larger animals, only one or two tiers of compartments may be provided in each battery, but for smaller animals, such as poultry, several superimposed tiers of compartments may be employed, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. It is important to note to the other.

that the compartments of each pair of batteries should be identical, in number, size and arrangement in order to make the device convenient to operate and commercially practical, as will appear evident upon further perusal of this description. Onlyone pair of batteries is disclosed in Fig. l, but I wish it understood that additional batteries may be installed within thebuilding.

The compartments which, as stated, preferably are all alike throughout the space occupied by the batteries are, in Fig. 3, shown designed to house laying hens, and they comprise-cages l0 having sloping wire floors II for guiding eggs laid in the cages into baskets l2 in front thereof. The two lower tiers of cages may on top be fitted with sheet metal covers designed to prevent droppings from falling from above into the lower compartments. Such plates, or covers are largely used in laying batteries in commercial use, and it is the practice to mount rollers at each end of each tier on which dropping belts are hung to be dragged back and forth along these top covers by means of hand cranks attachable to the roller shafts. Scrapers are applied to these belt as they pass over the rollers for removing droppings during the operation of winding the belts from one roller The main objection to this arrangement is that much soft and semi-liquid matter and particularly broken, soft shelled eggs stick to the belt and, as the belt winds on a roller, get squeezed between the layers of windings and thereby transferred to the underside of the belt, laterto be rubbed into the cover plates. Such filthy practice cannot be recommended, it should be condenmned by health authorities and probably would be if better methods were known. A simple, economical and sanitary method of overcoming this difiiculty will now be described.

Frames for batteries of this type are ordinarily made to comprise angle iron posts to which horizontal rails are bolted, and the aforenamed cover plates rest on these rails. Such horizontal rails may also here be employed and they are, in Figs. 3 and 4, indicated by the reference numerals l4, l5. It is also noted that these rails extend beyond the batteries to form semicircular loops l5, ll therebeyond. In such manner, a continuous track is provided, extending around each pair of batteries, to accommodate refuse receivers I 8, which overlap and are shown hinged together at the inner corners to form endless trains, or belts. The rivets l9, by means of which these trays are pivotally interconnected, may be extended upward to ride in notches of a driving disc 20, which is mounted on a vertical shaft 2|, and the latter mittently rotated at a slow, uniform rate of speed to carry away all droppings from below the cages. It is, of course, necessary to provide as many discs on the vertical shaft 2| as there are trains of receivers. In actual practice, there would be a series of discs at each end of the battery but, for

the sake of simplicity and cleamess, only one end.

thereof is, in Fig. 1. shown so outfitted.

It was above mentioned that the lower tiers of commercial batteries ordinarily are fitted on top with metal covers. However, as the receivers l8 overlap while passing through the batteries, it may not be of any advantage to add such covers, and they are not illustrated in the drawings.

When the receivers commence to make the turn at the end of one battery, it is noticed that the edges separate like the blades of a fan, and this condition makes it possible to clean the receivers before they enter the adjacent battery. To this end, I have shown a scraper fastened to the track, preferably at an angle to the passing receivers in order to push the droppings outward until they drop over the outer edge. A brush 28 is also shown mounted on the track, and it is fitted with a pinion 21, riding on a gear wheel 28 of a shaft 23. If water or other cleaning medium is applied while the receivers pass under this brush, it is seen that they may be thoroughly cleansed before they'retum to the battery. Each tier should, of course, be equipped with such cleaning devices, and they may be provided at one end of the batteries or at both ends as preferred. The bulk of dropping which is removed by the scrapers may be directed along chutes (not shown) to a suitable storing and disposing bin and the wet refuse may be similarly disposed of Another objectionable feature of stationary batteries, as commercially used, is the method of feeding the fowls. Some batteries are made with feed troughs extending the full length of the battery, others have a number of separate troughs hung outside the cages. Either arrangement is unsatisfactory. Some pullets will satisfy their hunger and then, due to their inherited picking habit, scatter the residue in all directions. Others will manage to get enough water into the feed troughs to wet and pack the feed, which then soon commences to mold. It may, of course, be possible to keep these troughs clean, but the expense would be prohibitive, and they usually quickly become coated with a layer of moldy matter and unfit for use.

This difficulty may be overcome by removing the feed troughs entirely from the batteries and placing them on a conveyor designed to carry the feed past the cages, within reach of the birds. To this end, I have shown an overhead endless track 30 surrounding each pair of batteries and extending beyond the track of the dropping trays. On this track may be hung a wheel truck 3|, or a pm. rality of such trucks, from which a frame 32 is held suspended. Feed trays 33 are shown detachably hung on this frame at the proper height to suit the confined birds. The wheel truck is shown fitted with an electric motor 34 which, through the medium of suitable speed reducing gears or pulleys and belts, 35, is connected to circulate the wheel truck around the pair of batteries. This, however, is merely illustrative of suitable motive power.

Most animals in captivity are fast eaters; they will gorge themselves on fresh feed and then play with and waste whatever is left. But where the proper number of feed trolleys are provided and 2,314,344 is suitably connebted to be continuously or interthe speed of the carriers adjusted to suit the habits of the animals, it is found that they will eagerly await the approach of the feed carrier and will waste no time in satisfying their hunger.

Preferably, the feed room will be at one end of the batteries and the belt cleaning devices at the other end. When each feed carrier reaches the end of the battery, it is seen that it may be detached, another attached in its place,.and that it thereupon may be thoroughly cleansed and refilled. The batteries will, for the sake of economy, be quite long and the feed will travel so slowly that it may take each carrier hours to reach the feed room and quite a long time even to pass through the feed room. Ample time will therefore be afforded the attendant to exchange feed carriers and at the same time attend to the various duties prescribed by the system.

Various means of supplying water to stationary batteries are in commercial use, one of the best of which is the drip system, in which pipes carry water to positions above each battery and valves are placed between adjacent cages to cause water to flow down along wires to the bottom, there being gaps in the wires across which the drops of water fall unless caught up by the animals. Such system may also here be employed or, where water is not so abundant, it is possible to hang water troughs on wheel trucks in the same manner the feed troughs are held suspended.

In order to maintain confined animals healthy and active, it is necessary not only to provide proper sanitation, air control, and the proper feed at proper time intervals, but it is equally essential to provide uniform periods of activity and rest. Such periods will vary according to the species of being held confined, and experience teaches that feeding periods of from three to four hours, followed by rest periods of four to five hours, are most beneficial to grown poultry, especially to laying hens.

In view of this, it is one object of the invention to provide means for effecting such periods. To this end, I have shown partitions 40, ll erected across the space occupied by the batteries at each end of the latter. These partitions are made with openings 36, see Fig. 3, wide and high enough to permit the refuse receivers to pass through and to afford clearance for the slight accumulation of droppings. It is furthermore necessary to provide in these partitions passages for the feed carriers, and this may be done by means of a series of swinging doors 1, 48. These doors should be merely wide enough to afford room for the carriers to pass, in order to reduce the amount of light passing through the opened doorway to a minimum. They should be springheld and so light that they may be pushed open and held open by the feed carriers without derailing or otherwise disturbing the operation of the latter. In addition to these doors there should preferably also be provided manually operated doors 43, 50 for the convenience of the attendant.

The spaces within the building, beyond each end of the batteries may be lighted at all times, or at least at any time the attendant is present, but this light is, by the partitions 40, ll and the various doors substantially excluded from the battery space which, as above stated, should be lighted and darkened throughout suitable intermittent periods. The lighting of the battery space may be effected by electric bulbs arranged in suitable positions, in which case clock controlled means should be provided for turning these lights on and oil periodically. Or lights I! said egg baskets in passing the latter to discharge 7 may be held suspended from trucks 55, which may be similar to the feed carriers, to travel around the batteries at regular intervals, as best indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. The current is shown carried to these lamps through a rail, or wire 51 and a trolley 58, properly insulated. The return current may be grounded in the carrier and the rail 30. The same trolley wire is also shown delivering current to the truck motors 34 and- 59, but this also is merely illustrative of suitable light and power connections.

The baskets l2 are made with a hinged trapdoor 60, which is urged upward by a spring 6| and normally held closed by a pivotally hung catch 62. A stud 63, of the feed carrier, moves into contact with this catch and swings it to one side gradually to release the trapdoor. If now an egg is in the basket, it is found that the weight of this egg will overcome the tension of the spring BI and cause the trapdoor to swing open, whereupon the egg rolls into a larger basket 65 of the carrier. The eggs which gradually accumulate in this storage basket may then be gathered by the attendant at any time. In the copending application, above referred to, is shown means for photographing the egg basket at the time the egg rolls away therefrom. Similar devices may be embodied into the present system and the movement of the trapdoor may also here be utilized to close a circuit to a photographic camera, the lattter being in the present case preferably mounted to move with the feed carrier.

A hollow partition 10 is provided between each pair of batteries, and air from suitable air conditioning apparatus is caused to rise within this partition and to fi-ow through apertures H to the batteries on both sides of the partition. The air conditioning equipment is shown placed below the floor of the building, and the air may be exhausted at any desired points, as for instance at I2 in.Fig.'3. g

The drawings are merely illustrative of one form of the invention, and no attention has been given to proper proportioning. It should also be noted that throughout the drawings, parts have been omitted for the sake of clearness. In other cases, parts have been broken away, as for example the left side of the partition M, of Fig. 2, and the doors 48, 49.

I claim:

1. In an air and light insulated building, a pair of batteries of compartments, a track surrounding said batteries, supply carriers hung on said track, power means for moving said carriers past the said compartments, means for carrying lights hung on said track, power means for moving said light carriers on said track around the compartments, a hollow partition between the pair of batteries, and air conditioning means for forcing air through said partition to the said compartments.

2. The combination with stationary poultry laying batteries, of supply stations, means for circulating said stations around said batteries, egg receptacles attached to said stations, and means operatively interconnecting said stations with the batteries for depositing eggs from the batteries into said receptacles.

3. The combination with stationary poultry laying batteries having inclined floors leading to egg baskets along the sides of the batteries, supply carriers, power means for circulating said carriers around the batteries, egg receptacles on said carriers, and means on the carriers operable upon eggs therefrom into said receptacles.

4. The combination with stationary batteries.

having inclined floors leading into egg baskets along the sides 0! the batteries, 9. spring held trapdoor in each of said baskets, means normally maintaining said doors closed, supply carriers movable along the sides of the batteries, egg receptacles on said carriers, and means on the carriers operable upon said trapdoor closing means in passing to release the latter to discharge eggs into said receptacles.

5. In an air conditioned building, stationary poultry laying batteries, a track surrounding said batteries, supply carriers, power means for moving said carriers around the batteries within reach of the birds in the batteries, means on said carriers for receiving eggs from the batteries, means for creating alternating periods of light and darkness at the batteries, means for receiving droppings from the birds in the batteries, means for circulating said droppings receiving means through the batteries, and means for removing the droppings from said receiving means.

6. In combination, two stationary batteries arranged in parallel relation to each other, each battery comprising horizontal tiers of laying cages having inclined floors leading to egg receptacles in front of the cages, endless horizontal tracks extending straight through said pair of batteries below the said tiers of cages and forming loops beyond the ends of the batteries, an endless chain of pivotally interconnected refuse receivers on each track, means for circulating said chain of receivers along the tracks, and means for removing droppings from the receivers beyond the ends of the batteries.

'7. The combination with two poultry batteries arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other, of supply stations, means for circulating said stations around said batteries within reach of the occupants thereof, endless tracks passing through both batteries and making horizontal turns beyond the batteries, endless chains of dropping plates on said tracks, means for circulating said plates on said tracks, and means for cleaning the plates while they pass beyond the batteries.

8. In a light and air insulated room, two batteries in parallel relation to each other, a hollow partition extending from floor to ceiling the full length of said batteries, an endless track surrounding said batteries and partition, supply and light carriers on said track, means for circulating said carriers on the track to move the lights and supplies along one battery while the battery on the other side of said Partition is in darkness, and air conditioning apparatus for circulating air through said partition, through apertures therein, past the said batteries.

9. The combination with two poultry batteries arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other, of supp y stations, means for circulating said stations around the batteries Within reach of the animals held confined therein, conveying means extending under the compartments of said batteries, said means formed with horizontal loops beyond the ends of the batteries extending from one battery to the other, said means comprising an endless chain of refuse receivers, means for cleaning said receivers while passing around said loopse beyond the ends of the compartments, and means for circulating said receivers and operating said cleaning means.

10. In combination, two stationary batteries arranged in parallel relation to each other, each battery comprising horizontal tiers of laying cages having inclined floors leading to egg baskets in front, endless tracks through said batteries below said floors, an endless chain 01' reiuse receivers resting upon and partially covering the track of each tier of cages, means for circulating said chains of receivers along said tracks, and means for removing refuse from said receivers beyond the ends of the batteries.

11. In alight and air insulated building, a pair 10 of batteries 01' compartments for living beings, a hollow partition between the batteries having apertures, an endless track surrounding said batteries, means for carrying supplies and lights on said track. power means continuously circulating said carrying means on said track, and air conditioning means for circulating air through the apertures of said partition past said compartments.

FAY D. CORNELL. 

